


Snapshot

by mnwood



Series: Typecast 'Verse [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Actors, Domestic, Fatherhood, Fluff and Angst, Gay Panic, Growing Old Together, Multi, POV Alternating, Polyamory, Puberty, Time Skips, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-10 20:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7005472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnwood/pseuds/mnwood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of poignant events in the lives of Dean, Cas and Lisa's children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever stop naming Dean's kids after Star Wars characters??????
> 
> Also, for clarity: Sam, Junior, Sara Marie = all the same person.

_Five or so years later_

 

Tiny hands slap Dean’s face to wake him up. He grunts and buries his head deeper into the crook of Cas’ arm, so the tiny hands flick his ear instead.

“Five more minutes, Junior,” he tells his daughter as he blindly shoves her away.

He hears her huff, climb down from the bed and stomp out of the room. He smiles to himself and scoots closer against Cas’ side.

“Mm, you should’ve told her 15 more minutes,” Cas murmurs. 

Before Dean can make fun of his mate for being lazy in the mornings, Cas hauls him on top of his chest and reaches up to plant a sloppy kiss to his lips.

“Your breath stinks,” Dean says between kisses.

Cas runs a hand through his hair and shifts under him so Dean can feel his morning wood against his thigh. They rarely have sex anymore—maybe once or twice a month if they’re feeling up to it—but Dean likes these moments better anyway. Cas all pliant and sleepy beneath him, his warm hands rubbing Dean’s back and sides, his gross-tasting mouth pressed against Dean’s.

“Can we skip the Oscars tonight?” Dean asks after a few more minutes of kissing.

“Mm.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?”

Cas squeezes Dean’s hip and blinks his eyes open. “You’re nominated, Dean. I don’t think it would be wise to skip. I, however, am not nominated and can easily skip.”

“You won last year, you moron.”

“I will never understand why winners are punished by presenting the award the following year.”

Dean rolls off of Cas and almost falls out of bed. Once he’s on his feet, he lifts his arms above his head to crack his back. “Hate to break it to you, Cas, but most actors don’t mind talking in front of people.”

Cas folds his arms behind his head and lets his eyes roam over Dean’s nearly naked body. Dean just finished filming an action flick, so he’s more bulked up than he prefers. Cas and Lisa sure do love staring at him though, so he supposes it’s not all bad.

As he’s pulling a t-shirt on, Sam runs back into the room and wraps herself around his leg. He awkwardly walks over to his closet with her attached, and he shakes her off so he can put sweatpants on over his boxers. 

“Did your mom give you sugar for breakfast, kid?” he asks. 

“Pancakes!” she responds enthusiastically. “We’re going to the red carpet tonight, Dad!”

“Yeah, sweetie, I know.” He squats down and presses a finger to her nose. “You remember what we rehearsed?”

Sam straightens up to her full height of three feet and says, “I am very excited to be making my red carpet deb—deb—”

“Debut,” Dean says.

“Debut! My red carpet debut. I’m not allowed to see my dad’s movie yet, so I’m rooting for my favorite actor, John Boyega.”

“You haven’t seen the movie he was nominated for either, Junior,” Cas calls from where he’s finally pulling himself out of bed. 

Sam turns toward Cas and sticks her tongue out at him. Dean laughs quietly to himself as the two have a staring match. They have the same big, blue eyes and serious demeanor but other than that Sam is the spitting image of Lisa. 

“All right, baby girl, come on. We got a long day ahead of us,” Dean says as he scoops Sam up in his arms to carry her out of the room so Cas can get ready. He gives Cas a kiss on the forehead on their way out despite Sam yelling, “Ewww!” into their ears.

Once they get to the hallway, Sam wiggles out of Dean’s arms to go play with Finn. Dean heads into the kitchen and sneaks up on Lisa. He grabs her ass and buries his nose in her hair, and she halfheartedly elbows him in the ribs to get him to stop.

Dean growls and whispers in her ear, “I was hoping to continue what we started last night.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got plans for you tonight.” She turns and condescendingly pinches his cheek. “But only if you win.”

As Lisa walks away, Dean calls after her, “Cas promised stuff even if I  _don’t_ win!”

“No, I didn’t,” Cas says as he joins them in the kitchen. He gives Lisa a cursory kiss on the cheek on his way over to the coffee pot.

Cas has never liked mornings, but he seems even grumpier than usual since turning 50. He complains about his joints and his back pain all the time as if 50 were some magical number where your body starts falling apart. He still looks great with the extra wrinkles in his face and the full head of gray hair, but he carries his age like a weight on his back.

Lisa waits until Cas has finished his first cup of coffee before she asks, “Sweetie, have you heard from Claire?”

“Last I heard she was still planning to come over here and then drive with you to Sam and Billie’s house. Why, did something change?”

Lisa sets a stack of pancakes in front of Dean and answers, “No, I just hope she’ll be OK with all the kids while we’re out.”

“She’s 25, Lis,” Dean says with a mouthful of pancake. “And the kids will be asleep. She’ll be fine.”

Finn and Sam both scream from the living room. Cas is the first to get up to go deal with them.

_“Sara Marie Winchester, let go of your brother’s foot!”_

Dean and Lisa raise their eyebrows at each other in a silent question over whether they should go help Cas. Dean answers the question by shoveling more pancakes into his mouth. 

When Sam and Finn were born, Dean and Cas and Lisa spent literal days in the hospital arguing over names. The first conclusion they came to was that their kids wouldn't suffer through life with three last names, so luckily they all liked the last name “Winchester” best. The second conclusion was that they couldn’t agree on any girl names, so they combined two of Cas and Lisa’s favorites and called her Sam for short. Granted, that lasted about five minutes before they got confused and started calling her “Junior.” The third conclusion was that Lisa and Dean saw  _The Force Awakens_ together and fucking loved it and Cas  _still_  has no idea that his son is named after a fictional character. 

As Dean’s putting his dirty plate and mug in the sink, Ben stumbles into the kitchen with a yawn and asks if there are any pancakes for him. The kid’s 15 and going through puberty. He reeks like the inside of a moldy dishwasher, and he sleeps more hours than he’s awake most days. He just popped a knot and went through his first rut last month, so that’s the most surprising bullshit their messed up family has dealt with lately.

“Honey, make sure you’re ready to go to Uncle Sam and Aunt Billie’s house tonight. Six o’clock, OK? You and Claire are watching the kids,” Lisa says as she cleans the dishes.

Dean comes up behind her and mumbles, “Let me do that,” as he takes a plate out of her hand. 

“This isn’t gonna be like last year when you guys disappeared until noon the next day, is it?” Ben asks with a frown.

 _“No, Finn! Finn Winchester, you will listen to your alpha when he is speaking to you. No. I said no!”_  

“Um, I’m just gonna go see what…” Dean trails off as he cleans his hands and backpedals out of the kitchen. 

He finds Cas crouched down facing the couch and their two kids sitting in front of him with their heads bowed toward the floor. Dean warily walks up behind the couch and looks down at his mate.

“Finn is upset that he doesn’t have an appointment with the makeup artist,” Cas explains.

Not exactly what Dean was expecting. 

At noon, Dean is supposed to take Sam to a makeup artist and get her face all princessed out for the red carpet. (That had been another big argument. Lisa is a phenomenal makeup artist and could’ve done the job in their goddamn kitchen. But Sam insisted that she wanted the _“experience”_ of being a  _“star.”)_ Sam would then have her hair done, put on her dress and make her way to the limo to be Dean’s date to the Academy Awards. Cas and Finn would be in the limo, too, but Finn didn’t have to go through all the dolling up.

“OK, well, Lis can do his makeup,” Dean says with a shrug.

Finn whips his head around and stares up at Dean like he’s betrayed him. “I don’t want Mom to do it. She does it for me all the time! I want—”

“OK, OK,” Dean interrupts. “We’ll get you an appointment, all right, sweetheart?”

Finn’s face changes into a goofy grin so quickly it’s almost comical. He bats his ridiculously long eyelashes at Dean and asks, “Can I wear a dress tonight?”

Dean looks at Cas, but Cas just shrugs.

“You should’ve told us you wanted one sooner, sweetie,” Dean placates. “Your tux is sparkly though, remember? And you’ve got a light blue bow tie to match your eyes.”

“My dress is  _coral_ because Aunt Charlie says pink brings out blue eyes best,” Sam adds unhelpfully. 

Dean glares at her.

In a shocking turn of events, Sam says, “Wait. We could switch outfits.”

“What?” Dean and Cas ask in unison. 

“I could wear Finn’s tux and he could wear my dress. We’re the same size!” 

Dean and Cas look at each other again. 

“And I don’t need makeup,” she continues. “I’m pretty enough.”

She says it so matter-of-fact that Dean bursts out laughing. He reaches over the couch and throws Sam over his shoulder, and she squeals in delight and thumps his back with her tiny fists.

Maybe it’s not normal for kids to be discussing what they’re going to wear to the Academy Awards, but Sam and Finn never really had a chance of a “normal” life. Every time they went out in public as babies, they were wrapped head to toe in blankets to avoid being photographed. Dean and Cas and Lisa managed to keep their faces hidden until they were old enough to agree to be seen by the public.

That was a weird day. Dean and Cas sat down with their 3-year-olds and explained that their dads are famous and that makes them kind of famous, too. They even showed them clips of movies they’d been in to help them understand. Unsurprisingly, both kids had been delighted at the idea. They were both more outgoing than Dean, Cas and Lisa combined. Being in the spotlight didn’t spoil them or scare them as much as it invigorated and empowered them. 

They had to have another difficult conversation before the kids started preschool. Lisa was the one who found the place and talked to the headmaster and made sure none of the teachers or parents would freak out if Dean Winchester or Castiel Novak showed up to pick up their kids. The headmaster asked her if she was “their agent or something” and Lisa had to explain the concept of polyamory to him. The guy obviously didn’t read a lot of magazines.

It had, of course, never occurred to 4-year-old Sam and Finn that it was abnormal to have three parents. They were confused and slightly hurt when Dean, Cas and Lisa explained to them that kids at school might react negatively when they found out. Luckily, children were more accepting than adults, so the only problems they had encountered so far were from rich housewives chewing them out for “corrupting their children.” (Cas and Lisa tried to reason with the conservative moms. Dean just offered them cold, hard cash to get them to shut up.)

Dean doesn’t know what strange conversation he’ll have to have with his kids next, but he takes comfort in the fact that they’re strong and smart enough to deal with it.

“How do I look, Dad?” Sam asks as she twirls around in her tux after getting her hair done.

 _“Getting her hair done”_  meant chopping all of it off and styling it exactly like Dean’s. Sam and Finn had the same blue eyes and the same nearly black hair, so the press would probably mix them up at the award show. Of course, Finn looked pretty much exactly like Dean, so maybe that would save them the trouble of correcting everyone.

“You look handsome as hell, baby girl,” Dean replies.

“Dad, you’re not supposed to say bad words.”

“You're not gonna tell Mom, right?"

She emphatically shakes her head. 

Dean takes her by the hand so they can walk out to the limo together. Cas and Finn are there waiting for them, and Dean makes sure to tell his son how pretty he looks and that the coral really does bring out his eyes. Finn and Sam then gush over each other’s appearances before climbing into the back of the limo.

As they ride, Dean nervously knocks his knee against Cas’ until Cas presses a strong hand to the inside of his thigh. A shiver runs down Dean’s spine, and he throws his arm around the back of the seat to pull Cas closer.

“Gray looks good on you,” Dean whispers in his ear.

“Do you mean my hair or my suit?”

“Both.”

After a beat, Cas says, “I hope you don’t win tonight.”

“God, I hope not either. I don’t feel like going through all the hoopla.”

“You need to stop saying ‘hoopla.’”

“It’s Junior’s fucking fault.”

They separate once they arrive at the red carpet, Cas with Finn and Dean with Sam. Dean lets his daughter carry the conversations with the interviewers. They all get a big kick out of her rooting for John Boyega. When they ask about her tux, she explains that she and her brother switched because he wanted to wear a dress. 

That’s when the interviewers always look to Dean to try to gauge how he feels about his kids not conforming to gender roles. He tries his best to make his face say,  _“They’re 5. They ain’t presenting for another decade, and I’ve got bigger battles to pick than my son wanting to wear a goddamn dress.”_

Dean runs into Benny at one point and stops to chat, and he doesn’t notice when Sam lets go of his hand and runs off. When he finds her a few minutes later, she’s talking to John Boyega and telling him she hopes he wins.

Dean apologizes and scoops Sam up in his arms so they can head inside the theater already. They spot Cas in the crowd and weave through people to get to him and Finn. Sam kicks her feet against Dean’s hip to get him to hand her over to Cas. Cas swings her onto his shoulders.

“Did everybody like Finn’s dress?” Dean asks as the four of them walk together.

“Only two interviewers thought he was Junior, and he quickly corrected them. He was very eager to talk about the designer of the dress and how it was made. I don’t even know how he knew all of that.” 

“So, no problems? He did OK?”

Cas smiles softly at Finn as he skips ahead of them. “Yes, he did fine.”

Dean clears his throat and says, “An omega girl around Claire’s age was interviewing me about the movie, and I could smell her, uh…”

“She was aroused?” Cas asks quietly enough that Sam won’t hear him.

Dean nods.

Cas growls. 

“I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible. I mean, fuck, I’ve got a  _kid_  her age.”

Cas sets Sam on the ground and places a hand on Dean’s lower back. “An interviewer asked me about our relationship. Did you know that tabloids have been saying we’re separated?”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because we’re boring, so they make up things to talk about.”

When they get to their seats, Dean slides an arm around Cas’ shoulders and points his kids into the seats next to them. They’ve already discussed with their kids that they have to be on their very best behavior, but Dean still glares at them when they sit down to make sure they know how serious he is. 

They fall asleep before the first award is even announced. Dean is jealous of them.

Ellen DeGeneres is the host for the evening, and Dean is hardly surprised when she comes into the audience during a commercial break and squats down next to Dean. Damn aisle seat. 

“Can I talk about you guys during my next bit?” she asks.

Dean looks at Cas and then back to Ellen before responding, “Yeah, sure.”

Award show hosts usually don't go off script, but Dean has known Ellen long enough to trust her. Even so, when the cameraman comes over, Dean grips Cas’ shoulder a little tighter. Cas places his hand on Dean’s thigh and gives him a reassuring squeeze.

“Welcome back to the Academy Awards,” Ellen says to the camera. “I’m here with the estranged couple, Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak. Dean, how is it being separated from your mate?” She shoves the microphone in his face.

Dean shifts in his seat and looks at Cas. “Uh…” he says intelligently.

The crowd laughs, and Dean relaxes. 

“Cas, what about you? How do you handle custody of your twins?”

The cameraman steps closer and zooms in on the sleeping 5-year-olds. The crowd lets out an “aww,” and Dean looks up at the screen on stage to see his kids curled up with their foreheads knocking together.

Cas pats Dean’s knee and says, “We’re making it up as we go along.”

Ellen turns back toward the camera and says, “There you have it, folks. Hollywood’s most adorable couple has crashed and burned. We’ll miss you, Destiel. Real love is dead and true mates are a myth.”

As Ellen walks back to the stage, Dean leans in close to Cas and whispers in his ear, “We should probably try to keep up with the tabloids.”

Cas cracks a smile but keeps his eyes forward, so Dean plants a sloppy kiss to his temple. The crowd “aww's” again, and Dean looks up at the stage to see himself and Cas on the big screen for just a second before it moves to another part of the theater.

As the next award is being presented, Dean’s phone buzzes. It’s a text from Sam.

_Did you know that was gonna happen?_

_No,_ he types back.

_Claire is laughing really hard._

_Did YOU know there were rumors we were separated?_

_I saw a shitty candid picture of you guys on the cover of a magazine. Cas looked pissed at you, but I didn’t pick the magazine up. You and Cas always look vaguely pissed at each other._

_That’s because we ARE always vaguely pissed at each other._

_What’d you just whisper in Cas’ ear? Sure didn’t look pissy._

_I was telling him that I can’t wait for him to knot my mouth tonight._

Cas sees what Dean’s typing and punches him in the arm. Dean elbows him in the side.

 _Yeah, right, as if Cas even enjoys blow jobs enough for that. Good try._  

“He’s got a point,” Cas whispers. 

Dean elbows him again. “Why does Sammy know that I never suck you off?”

“Um, because there’s not even the illusion of privacy in our family?” Cas looks at him like he’s an idiot. 

Dean rolls his eyes and turns back to his phone.

_Fine. I lied. I was telling him that you’re a jerk._

_Wow._

Cas suddenly stands, and it’s only after Dean grabs his arm to ask him where the hell he’s going that he remembers that Cas has to present the best actress award soon. The kids stir awake, so Dean slides into Cas’ seat and pulls them both onto his lap. 

They both squirm and squeal when Cas walks out on stage, but Dean grips them tighter and shushes them. Cas is stiff and awkward as he reads off the nominees, but he looks damn good on the big screen. Some British chick Dean’s never worked with before wins, so he zones out during her speech. It isn’t until his own name is called as a nominee that he realizes he needs to pay attention.

Lucky for him and for Sam, John Boyega wins.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the majority of the angst tag for this fic.

“Hey, Cas. Cas. Wake up.”

There’s a crick in Cas’ neck when he lifts his head off the arm of the couch. He blinks his eyes open and tries not to wince when his back cracks. He hates falling asleep on the couch, but sometimes Dean and Lisa go to bed before he’s ready to stop watching whatever show he’s bingeing and then by the time he wants to join them he hears  _giggling_ and most of the time he doesn’t really feel like fucking either of them so he just turns the volume up and falls asleep.

“What’s wrong, Ben?” As soon as the question’s out of his mouth, the smell hits him. “Are you—is that your  _heat?”_

Ben shakes his head and fiddles with the hem of his t-shirt. “I-I don’t know. I feel sick. I’ve got—my—I feel, um, wet. You know, like…”

“Slick. I can smell it. OK. Um. How does your knot feel?”

“My what?” Ben wipes sweat from his brow and begins to shake. 

“Your knot, Ben. What is it doing?”

“I don’t know! It’s not—I don’t think it’s doing anything. But I’m, uh—I’m hard. Everything hurts.”

Cas stands and looks toward the hallway. “I can get your mother—”

“No! Please. Please just tell me what’s wrong with me. You’re a doctor, I know you know—” 

“You’re in heat, Ben. But I’m afraid as soon as you…do anything about it, your rut will also be triggered. People aren’t meant to handle both at the same time.”

“So, what does that mean? Am I gonna die?” 

“No, you’re not going to die.”

“It feels like I’m gonna die.” 

“Ben, listen to me. You have two gender designations. I need you to tell me exactly what you’re feeling right now so that I can decide if we need to go to the emergency room.”

Ben’s eyes widen. “I, um. I feel like I might puke. And-and everything itches. Or—it’s more like my whole body’s on fire. I need to—I really want to—I have this feeling—” He makes a vague gesture toward his backside. 

“It’s a knot you want,” Cas explains. “When an omega is in heat, they can face serious health complications if they don’t—”

“Stick something up their butt, yeah, I know.” Ben huffs a humorless laugh and runs his hands over his face. “I’m gonna die.” 

A door creaks open, and Dean pads his way down the hall and into the living room. He stops next to Cas and rubs his hip as a silent way of asking what’s going on.

“Ben is in heat,” Cas explains.

_“What?”_

“Please just kill me.”

Dean turns toward Cas and gives him a stern look. “What does this mean?”

“It means I’m gonna die.”

“Shut up, Ben,” Dean and Cas say in unison.

“It means he has two gender designations,” Cas explains. “If he makes it through the night without getting worse, we can avoid going to the ER.” 

“The  _ER?_  Exactly how serious is this?”

“I’m gonna die, Dean!”

“I need both of you to calm down!” Cas shouts with a placating gesture toward them.

Lisa appears then, wrapped in Dean’s robe and very clearly concerned for her son. Before she can even ask what’s going on, another door opens and Sam and Finn come running out. 

Dean scoops the 5-year-olds up under his arms and ignores their kicking and screaming as he carries them back to their room. Cas watches them until they disappear down the hallway. When he turns back to Lisa and Ben, he finds Ben shaking uncontrollably.

“Cas, what the hell is going on?” Lisa asks frantically as she presses a hand to Ben’s shoulder.

Cas pushes her hand away. “Touching him at this point is a bad idea. Dean! We’re going to the ER!”

_"What?"_

"He got worse!"  _A lot worse._ "Watch the kids!"

Ben is shaking too hard to really understand what’s going on, so Cas risks picking him up and carrying him out to the car. Being in the arms of an alpha definitely isn’t helpful for his heat, but they’re running out of options. If his rut is triggered before they get to the hospital, Ben really could die. 

As he drives, Cas focuses on the calming sound of Lisa’s voice as she tries to soothe her son. His heart is hammering in his chest, but he can’t lose his cool and crash the Impala. Ben might not be  _his_ kid, but he’s still his kid. Cas would die for any of his children, Ben included.

Ben is whisked away as soon as they get to the ER and Lisa follows. When Cas finally slows down and takes a breath, he finds a slew of people in the waiting room staring at him and subtly trying to take his picture.

Cas clenches his jaw and deliberately makes eye contact with the most obnoxious people. They quickly begin averting their gaze, and Cas relaxes. Only a little, though.

His phone rings in his pocket. “Dean.” 

A teenage girl sitting nearby gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. Cas clears his throat and steps away from the waiting room.

“The kids are freaking out. I can’t get them to go the fuck back to sleep.”

“Did you just say ‘fuck’ in front of our kindergartners?”

“What? No. Maybe. What am I supposed to tell them?”

“Tell them Ben is sick and needed to go to the doctor.”

Finn screams in the background, and Dean pulls the phone away from his ear to chastise him. “How’s the kid doing?”

“I don’t know. They’ll start by getting his temperature down and then they’ll administer hormone treatment. I’m not sure what they’ll give him, but hopefully whatever it is will neutralize both his heat and rut.”

“He went into rut?”

“No, but he will if his body can’t—” He pauses to search for the right word, “—regulate itself.”

“Is this, uh, what you thought would happen?”

Cas considers the question before answering. “Lisa and I have discussed the possibilities. There is, unfortunately, very little research on O/O health complications. The life expectancy of an O/O person is—”

“Don’t,” Dean says sternly. “Just. Don’t.”

Cas sighs into the phone and pinches the bridge of his nose. When he looks back up, he makes eye contact with a passing nurse. Her eyes widen and she trips over her feet. “He’ll have to stay in the hospital until his heat is over. I’m sure by tomorrow or the next day at the latest we’ll have information on specific treatment he needs. Two opposing gender designations is extremely rare, so we’ll have to find a specialist. Ben is very fortunate.”

“What? The kid with the extremely rare condition is  _fortunate?”_

“Fortunate that his parents have the means to get him the help he needs. Otherwise…” 

Lisa walks up next to Cas and gently touches his shoulder. He hangs up with Dean after assuring him he’ll be home by morning.

“Ben wants to see you,” she explains.  

“Is he—”

“He’s fine. They got his heart rate and temperature down pretty quickly. His blood pressure is high and he’s too unstable for, um, hormone injections, but he didn’t start his rut. The doctor says if he hasn’t started it by now then he—” 

“Probably won’t have it at all,” Cas finishes. “Are you OK, Lisa?” 

Her face softens as she looks up at Cas. “We knew this day would come, and I still have no idea how to handle it.” 

Cas reaches out and pulls Lisa against his chest. He presses a kiss to her hair and holds the back of her head so she can cry in peace. “Will you be all right if I go see him?”

“Mm-hmm,” she mumbles into his shirt. 

He kisses her forehead as he pulls away. It’s a long walk to Ben’s room, but luckily Cas doesn’t pass too many people. It helps that it’s the middle of the night.

Ben is lying in bed breathing shallowly when Cas walks in, and his scent is so pungent that it stings his nose. When Ben hears the door open, his head lolls to the side and a grin spreads across his face.

“They gave me something,” he says drowsily.

“Yes, they did. Probably a handful of things.” Cas takes a seat next to the bed. 

“You know, when my mom told me that…When she told me she was pregnant, I was mad. I didn’t want to live with you guys.”

“I imagine that must’ve been difficult for a 10-year-old.”

“Dean and Mom—I thought they would get married or mated or whatever. I was so upset when she told me he wouldn’t be coming around anymore.” Ben huffs a laugh and closes his eyes. “I told some kids at school that Captain America was my dad.”

Castiel smiles and waits for Ben to continue. 

“I, uh. I hadn’t forgiven Dean even when you guys started coming to our house all the time. My mom would have to remind me over and over that she was friends with you and that I needed to be nice.”

“You’ve always been kind to us, Ben.”

“I know. But it was fucking hard.”

“Language.”

“I thought Dean would leave again. I thought my mom wouldn’t belong with you guys since you’re mated. And what would happen then? Mom would be a single parent for not just one kid but two. And-and one of the kids would be famous, and the other would be…” He gestures down to himself in disgust.

“Dean and I aren’t going anywhere.”

“Yeah, I realize that  _now,_ but—I don’t know. It’s just weird to go from having one parent to three. I don’t have to tell people at school anymore that Captain America is my dad. They already know, and they think I’m fucking weird for it.”

“Language, Ben.”

“And now—and now—what’s gonna—what’s happening to me, Cas?” He begins to tremble and cry. Cas reaches out and squeezes his hand.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. We’re going to take care of you.”

His bottom lip quivers as he tries to compose himself. “You shouldn’t have to worry about me. You’ve got three kids of your own. And a mate who loves you. You shouldn’t have to worry about me and Mom.”

Castiel clenches his jaw and sits up straight in his chair. He tries to imagine what Dean would say if he was here. “You’re our family, Ben. Dean and I would be lost without you and your mom. We need you.”

Ben is quiet for a long time. Eventually he looks up at Cas and says, “If you need me, then what happens if I die?”


	3. Chapter 3

_A decade or so later_

 

Dean slings an arm around the back of Cas’ chair and wipes sweat from his brow. A guy two tables over has been taking pictures of them for the past five minutes, and Dean keeps accidentally making eye contact with him. He wishes people would just come up and talk to him, but then he’d spend his entire life talking to strangers and would probably yearn for the creepy photographers instead.

“Dean.”

“Hmm?”

Cas and Claire both stare at him.

“What?” Dean asks defensively.

“I asked how you were doing since the reviews came out,” Claire says slowly, like she’s repeating herself for the hundredth time.

“Oh. Um. Fine. Twenty-two percent on Rotten Tomatoes is still better than  _Bright Atlanta_ got, so I’m good.” He squeezes Cas’ shoulder reassuringly.

“Your acting was better in  _Atlanta_ though.”

“Claire,” Cas chastises.

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that,” Dean replies with a laugh. He picks a fry off Cas’ plate and pops it in his mouth. “What about you, sweetheart? You dating anybody?”

Claire squints at him. “How long have you known me?”

Dean holds his hands up in innocence. “Hey, I’m not here to judge. I just think it’s weird that you’re in your 30s and have never—”

“You said the same thing when I was in my 20s. And this coming from a guy who forgot his anniversary this year because he was having a  _Lord of the Rings_ marathon by himself.” 

_"Claire."_

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you can’t turn this around on me. We’re talking about  _your_ relationship shortcomings.” 

 _“Dean,”_  Cas says. “Both of you. Stop.”

An awkward pause passes before Claire asks, “How’s Ben doing?”

Cas and Dean share a look. Cas answers, “He’s moving out soon. He got a programming job in San Diego.”

“That’s good. Desk job.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees. “He hates the wheelchair, but he’s gonna have to get used to it.”

Ben’s particular condition progresses somewhat like multiple sclerosis. He can still live a long, fulfilling life if he takes care of himself, but his body will most likely continue to deteriorate and make everyday tasks difficult. His junior year of college he finally agreed that he needed a wheelchair, and he fortunately hadn’t gotten worse since then. Despite his protests, they had remodeled the house (again) and hired several specialists to help him over the years. Lucky for them, Ben is patient and kind-hearted and could handle the shitty hand he'd been dealt a lot better than his parents could. 

As Cas flags down their server for the check, Dean’s phone rings.

He barely gets out a, “Hey, Sammy,” before Sam says, “Both of your kids just went into heat.”

 

* * *

 

Sam looks completely frazzled when he opens the door, and he doesn’t even bother greeting them. Dean shoves his way inside first, and Cas and Lisa quickly follow.

The whole house smells like manure. Deanna and Kent are nowhere to be found, which is probably a good thing. They’re both alphas and only recently hit puberty themselves.

Dean turns down the hall toward Finn’s room and points Cas and Lisa toward Sam’s room.

They don’t even bother knocking before going inside. Billie is sitting on the edge of Sam’s bed shaking a thermometer. She has a determined look on her face as if she’s been dealing with this for too long.

“Her temperature’s in the triple digits,” Billie says. “I can’t get through to her, so I’ll leave y’all to it.” She pats Cas on the shoulder on her way out the door.

Lisa rushes over to Sam and tries to press her hand to her forehead. Sam screams and bats her hand away.

“Junior, don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?” Lisa asks softly.

Sam curls her body into a ball and pouts.

“What kind of toy would you like, sweetie?” Lisa asks as she opens her purse. “You’ll feel better if you use one.” 

“I don’t want one!” 

Cas and Lisa give each other confused looks. 

“Well, then what do you want?”

“A penis.” 

“What?” Cas and Lisa ask in unison.

“A knot. I want a knot. I’m—it—everything hurts. It hurts like I want a knot. Not a knot to go in my—I want  _my own_ knot.”

Cas and Lisa once again look at each other. Eventually Lisa says, “But you’re in heat.” 

“I don’t care! I don’t want to be an omega, and I’m not a girl!”

“Um, how long have you felt this way, Junior?” Cas asks as he takes a seat on the side of the bed.

“I don’t know,” Sam mumbles into her pillow.

They had done research on transgender children when Sam and Finn were younger, and both children had fit some of the descriptions. Dean always joked that the twins’ bodies had been accidentally switched during pregnancy. They probably should've taken that possibility more seriously. 

“Honey, you could get very hurt if you don’t take care of your heat,” Lisa tries to reason.

“I don’t care! I’m not shoving anything up my ass!” 

Cas and Lisa look at each other for the third time. 

“Sam, where is the slick being produced?” Cas asks.

“I just told you." 

“Are you sure you want to be an alpha?”

“Yes! I want—I’m not—I’m a boy.” 

“Junior, your father is a boy and an omega. He produces slick just like you.”

“It’s not the same! He-he has a dick!”

“And you are not producing slick from the same place omega girls produce slick. You’re producing it from the place omega  _boys_ produce it.”

Sam’s body relaxes. She’s quiet for a long time.

“I still don’t want to be an omega.” 

“We can worry about that later,” Cas says as he reaches for Lisa’s bag. “For now, you need to take care of your heat before it gets worse.”

Sam tentatively accepts the toy Cas offers her, and then she looks between her parents as a silent way of saying, “go the fuck away.”

 

* * *

 

“You push a pillow under your hips and it’ll feel better. And, uh, take off all your clothes and don’t get under the covers. The less shit touching your body, the better. You might have to try a couple different toys before you find one you like, but don’t let that frustrate you. You’ll get the hang of it eventually. You’ll be OK, kid.” 

Dean starts to move away from the bed, but his son grabs his wrist with a sweaty hand. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“What? Why would I be mad at you?”

Finn somehow inherited Sam’s puppy dog eyes, which he uses against Dean at every opportune moment. 

“I’m an omega,” Finn says sadly. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m not an alpha.”

 _“What?”_ Dean sits back down and squeezes his son’s arm. “What the hell are you talking about, sweetheart? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about having an alpha.”

Finn sniffles and looks up at him in confusion.

“Listen to me. I love you more than anything. I’m an omega, too, buddy. How could I be disappointed in you?”

“I know what they say about you. I know that you—I know people thought you were an alpha. And that you didn’t want people knowing you’re an omega. You were ashamed. It’s OK if you’re ashamed of me.”

Dean runs his hand down his face and shakes his head. “I was an idiot kid. I did what I thought I had to do to get work, and I paid the price by hiding who I was for  _years_. I’m not gonna make you hide, Finn. Unlike me, you’ve got parents who love you and accept you no matter what. And you’re growing up in a much more, uh, accepting world than I did. Hell, the president’s an omega. You’ve got it easy, kid. If anyone ever gives you shit for being an omega, I’ll get your alpha dad to kill them.” 

Finn cracks a smile at that even as his eyes swim with tears. “So you’re not mad at me?” 

“I’m kind of mad that you thought I’d be mad. You must not know me at all,” Dean teases.

“What if I don’t mate with an alpha woman? What if I’m…?”

“Finn, I swear to god if you think I’m going to be upset if you’re gay then I really will be offended.”

Finn sighs dramatically and flips over onto his stomach. “OK, go away. I need to shove things up my ass now.”

Dean chokes back a laugh and stands. They’ve always been open with their kids about gender designations and what happens when puberty hits you one day, but now that it’s actually happening it’s awkward. 

As he leaves the room, Dean says, “I hope you know that I’m not ashamed of being an omega or being mated to a man. It might’ve taken me a long time to get there, but…You think you would even exist if I still felt ashamed? I had to carry your heavy ass in my womb for nine months. Magazines referred to me as 'Mommy.' You think anything can faze me after that?”

Finn sits up and laughs. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“Love you, too, kid.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning that Dean is a bit transphobic. Ur fave is problematic.
> 
> Also, remember that kid who had four different names? His name is now Richard. Go fuck yourselves.
> 
> ALSO also late night talk shows are typically filmed during the day and then they air that night. Clearing up that confusion before it becomes confusing.

_Yet another few years later_

 

“No. Absolutely not. I’m putting my foot down. Over my dead body is our son going to be in a goddamn movie.”

Cas runs his hand through his completely white hair and reminds himself to be patient with his mate. “You had to see this coming, Dean.”

Dean looks at Cas like he’s an idiot. “Yeah, because I’ve predicted everything our kids have done up until this point. This is definitely the first surprise I’ve—”

“He already got the role.  _You_ already got the role. Please just shut up and do the movie.”

“I’m not Will Smith. I don’t want to fucking force my kids into the ‘family business.’”

“Yes, because Richard waiting until he's undergone sex reassignment surgery and using a fake name at an audition so that people wouldn’t know he’s related to you is definitely ‘forcing’ your kids into acting.” 

Dean petulantly crosses his arms over his chest. “What name is he even gonna use when he’s famous? We gave him four fucking names when he was born and he picked  _Richard_  instead. And you know what else? Two out of those four were technically boy names. I just don’t get why—”

“Dean.” Cas levels him with a stare he’s mastered over the past few years. The stare that says “you’re being borderline offensive about our son.”

“I still don’t want to be in a movie with him.”

Before Cas can say anything else, Dean stomps out of their room and slams the door behind him. Lisa comes in a minute later and gives Cas a wary look. 

“When did our kids grow up?” Cas asks sadly. He flops down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling in despair. He feels so damn old.

“Uh, I think the ship sailed on that one a while ago. I don't know if you know this, but Claire's almost 40.” Lisa takes a seat next to him and pets his hair.

“What happens if Richard becomes famous? What will we do?”

“Remember when you were terrified of him turning 18? You didn’t want him to get the surgery because you were worried it wasn’t actually what he wanted? Richard knows what he wants, Cas. He knows who he is, and he’s old enough to make his own decisions.” Lisa pauses and moves her hand from Cas’ hair to his cheek. “Also, he’s a better actor than you and Dean combined.”

Cas laughs softly and grabs Lisa’s hand to press a kiss to her knuckles. “How did Richard become our problem child?  _Finn’s_  the one biologically related to Dean.” 

“I heard that,” Dean says as he pushes his way through the door. He stands in the middle of the room and plants his hands on his hips. “Maybe letting the kid act wouldn’t be such a big deal.” 

“Wow, he did not take very long to convince you,” Cas says as he sits up in bed.

“It was Finn actually.” He shakes his head and stares at a spot on the floor. “That kid is too much like Sammy. I got no clue how to say no to him.”

“Did you tell Richard?” Lisa asks.

“He’s, uh, not here. Took the fucking Impala, too, just to let me know how pissed he is.”

Lisa and Cas both suppress a laugh.

Dean gives them a hard look. “I have no friends in this house.”

 

* * *

 

When Finn got accepted to Stanford, Dean was thrilled. He knew the kid would do great and probably follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become a big shot lawyer or maybe follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a doctor or maybe—

What Dean didn’t consider was how hard it would be to say goodbye to his son. 

“Dean? Are you OK?” Cas whispers as they climb the stairs up to Finn’s new dorm.

The elevator broke half an hour ago, so they’re lugging all of Finn’s crap up six flights of stairs.

“I’m fine,” Dean replies with a fake smile.

“He’s going to do great here.”

“Hm.”

Cas drops the subject, but once they get up to Finn’s room he rubs soothing circles into Dean’s lower back and gives him a gentle kiss.

“Holy shit,” a voice says from behind them.

They both turn to find a tall black kid holding a box labeled “books.” His mouth is hanging open.

“You must be Finn’s roommate,” Cas says as he steps forward and holds out his hand. “Castiel Novak.”

The boy stares at Cas’ hand and tries to move his mouth. 

“I think he knows who you are, Cas,” Dean says awkwardly.

“Oh, shit,” Finn says as he rushes into the room and sets a trash bag full of clothes down. “It’s Donnell, right? I tried to message you to tell you that, um, these are my dads.” He gestures between Dean and Cas.

The boy shakes his head to try to snap himself out of it. “Um, yeah. Yeah, um. Sorry. I’ve never met anybody famous.”

“Me neither,” Dean says.

Cas elbows him in the ribs.

Donnell gives Finn a worried look as if he’s not sure what he’s supposed to do next. Just as Finn opens his mouth to speak, Lisa comes into the room hauling an armchair. She sets it down with a huff and then flashes a smile at Donnell.

“Hi, I’m Lisa. Finn’s mom. You must be Donnell.”

Donnell shakes Lisa’s hand slowly and looks around the room in confusion.

Lisa and Dean both laugh. Lisa says, “Don’t worry, we’ll be out of your hair soon. Guys, c’mon, we still have a lot to bring in.”

The awkwardness passes as they disperse. Richard is making his way slowly up the stairs as they’re going down, and he angrily shouts at them that he’s “too high-maintenance for this shit.”

Donnell and Finn end up walking in step and talking to each other as they make trips up and down the stairs. At one point Dean tries to give Cas a look to acknowledge that Finn’s warming up a little too quickly to his new roommate, but Cas just squints at him like the dense idiot he is. Dean rolls his eyes. 

After Finn is completely moved in, they all end up helping Donnell carry the rest of his stuff up. His dad insists that they don’t have to, but they do anyway. The dude’s wearing a goddamn vintage Captain America t-shirt, so Dean isn’t about to blow him off.

(Before the day is over, Donnell’s dad asks for a picture and an autograph and embarrassedly admits to Dean that when he was in college he had a poster of him in his Cap digs. Lisa and Richard make fun of Dean about it for the next two weeks.) 

Even though they’re all sweaty and exhausted from the hours of heavy lifting, it still feels like it’s too soon when Dean, Cas, Lisa and Richard say goodbye to Finn. The four of them stand in the parking lot next to the truck, and Dean kicks at rocks on the ground to keep himself from crying.

“So, uh, I’ll come home for fall break,” Finn reassures them. He looks between Dean and Richard. “Are you guys gonna be onsite somewhere?” 

Dean lifts his head and clenches his jaw. “Uh, no. We’ll be in L.A. You can come visit us anytime, kid.” 

Richard smiles up at Dean and pats his back. The kid’s so excited to be in a movie that Dean can’t possibly be mad at him about it anymore.

Lisa sniffles, so Finn turns toward her and reaches out for a hug. He’s about half a foot taller than her, so she buries her face in his chest and cries quietly.

“I really thought Dad would be the first to cry,” Finn says with a laugh.

“You owe me 50 bucks,” Richard replies seriously. 

Finn lets go of Lisa and dramatically rolls his eyes at his brother. “C’mere, Dick,” he teases as he yanks him into his arms.

When they pull apart, Richard puts a hand on Finn’s shoulder and says, “Remember, don’t have sex. You will get pregnant and die. No weed, either. You’ve seen what it does to our dads.”

“Hey!” Dean protests lamely. He knows his kid’s right.

Finn says bye to Cas next, and that’s when the tears well up in Dean’s eyes. Finn is Dean’s height, but he somehow looks like a toddler in Cas’ arms.

When it’s finally Dean’s turn, he can hardly look at his son’s blue eyes before a tear streams down his cheek. He laughs and wipes his face, but Finn just keeps smiling at him like this was completely expected. 

“Dating your roommate is dangerous,” Dean says.

Finn’s face drains of color. “I’m not—”

“He’s a beta, so you won’t get pregnant and die. Just—be careful, all right? Remember that you deserve the best.”

“All right, this is where I bounce,” Richard interrupts as he climbs into the backseat of the truck.

Lisa and Cas follow suit.

“If I come home with a boyfriend, are you gonna freak?" 

“Only if he’s not good enough for you.”

Finn nods and adopts a pensive expression. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad.”

“I’m gonna miss you, too, kid.” He gestures toward the dorm. “This is like Sammy all over again. But, uh, have more fun in college than Sam did, all right? I know you’re his clone, but at least  _try_  to be less lame, OK?”

Finn punches Dean in the arm and then yanks him forward for a hug. “I’ll see you soon, Dad. But, um—don’t visit too often. You’re really famous, and it’s annoying.”

Dean laughs and wipes tears from his eyes as he pulls away from his son. The horn honks behind him, so he gives Finn one more pat on the shoulder before climbing into the driver’s seat to make the long trip home. 

 

* * *

 

 

Filming for Dean and Richard’s movie lasts exactly three months. 

It turns out Richard is a bit of a diva. And it turns out Dean is not above chastising his child’s behavior while they’re on set. Three of their scenes together are cut from the script before they even have the chance to memorize their lines. The studio promises never to hire them together again. 

Cas finds the entire situation particularly amusing. Richard has had a bold attitude all his life, and his and Dean’s personalities have always been too big to occupy the same space. Why they ever thought they could work together is a mystery to everyone.

Dean is so stressed out by the ordeal that he and Cas’ sex life ignites in a way that it never has before. After the first week of filming, Dean gets home in the middle of the night and wakes Cas up by falling on top of him. They somehow manage not to wake Lisa up as Dean sucks Cas’ cock until it responds and then sinks onto it and rides Cas like they're in their 20s instead of their 50s. Once Cas knots Dean, they both fall sound asleep and are still tied together when Lisa wakes them up with a laugh the next morning.

By the time it happens three nights in one week, Cas wakes Lisa up and asks her to prep him so that Dean can just immediately start riding him as soon as he comes to bed. Lisa finds the idea so hot that she makes Cas eat her out before she’ll go down on him.

It's a good thing Richard had moved out of the house and into an apartment. 

“Are we totally sure I’m not Dick’s dad?” Dean asks one night as he lies naked against Cas’ chest, his body pulsing around Cas’ knot.

“He does seem to have more of you in him than me or Lisa. But we would’ve known by now. He would’ve been…” 

“Like Ben.”

They're silent for a few minutes.

Eventually, Dean continues, “Do you think he just  _learned_ to be like me? I mean, the kid is  _just_ like me.”

Cas rubs Dean’s back and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “Remember when he was 16 and decided to be a vegetarian?”

A beat passes before Dean answers, “OK, so maybe he’s not mine.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You ready?”

“Dad, I swear to god if you ask me that one more time—” 

“Hey, cut the attitude.” Dean raises his eyebrows at his son to remind him of the promise they made to each other to be on their best behavior while they do press for their film. “It’s your first interview. Sue me for being nervous.”

“It’s not my first interview. I’ve walked on a dozen red carpets.”

Dean just barely stops himself from rolling his eyes. “How’d you turn out to be such a spoiled brat?” 

Richard adopts a sarcastic scandalized expression.

The P.A. appears from around the corner then and tells them it’s time for places. As they walk through the back hallway of the late night television show Dean’s been on a handful of times, Richard reaches over and nervously squeezes his hand. Dean smiles to himself and realizes that kind of thing hasn’t happened since Richard was the artist formerly known as Junior. Richard, like Dean, is rough around the edges in order to hide that he’s a big fucking softie on the inside.

The host of the show is a young kid fresh out of  _Saturday Night Live_ who’s trying too hard to be Conan despite the fact that he’s not even old enough to remember Conan. He’s an omega, and he doesn’t wear scent blockers. Scent blockers stopped being popular a few years back, and Dean still hasn’t gotten used to it. He doesn’t think he’ll ever like the smell of other omega men.

“So, Dean, we know you’ve worked with one family member before, but what was it like working with your son?” the interviewer asks right as they all sit down and the clapping dies out.

“Um, sorry, when did I work with—oh, you mean Cas? The one time we worked together and it was a disaster?”

The audience laughs, and the interviewer shouts over them, “If the reviews are anything to go by, you’re much better at working with Richard.”

Dean says, “You’re kidding, right?” at the same time Richard says, “Yeah, right.” 

“Oh, so the rumors are true? Richard, is your dad difficult to work with?”

Dean and Richard exchange a look, and Richard sits up straighter in his chair as he answers, “It was probably the other way around." 

Dean looks down at the floor and smiles triumphantly. 

“But, you know, he should’ve known we would have problems. He did raise me after all.” 

“I raised your brother, too, and he’s at Stanford.”

Luckily, Dean’s tone cues the audience to laugh. It gives him time to look at his son to make sure he hasn’t crossed a line. Richard squints at him, which looks so much like Cas that Dean has to look away.

“Now, Richard, this was your first movie. Is it true that you auditioned under a fake name so that nobody would recognize you as Dean Winchester’s son?”

“Well, I auditioned under my real first name after I changed it. Nobody knew who I was because I had sex reassignment surgery and cut off all my hair right before the audition.”

Dean’s heart pounds in his chest as he waits for a response. It’s not exactly a secret that Richard is a transgender omega man, but it’s not exactly out in the open either.

“Oh, right, I had nearly forgotten. You look so much like a man that—”

“Excuse me?” Dean interrupts. This had not been part of the rehearsal interview. “My son  _is_ a man.”

The interviewer’s face drains of color. “I just mean—” 

“Guys, please,” Richard says quietly.

When Dean turns toward his son, he finds a huge grin splitting his face. Dean furrows his brow at him in confusion.

“I used to dream about this when I was a kid. Like, a  _really_ little kid.” The crowd goes completely silent as Richard continues, “I’d think about what an ignorant interviewer might say to me about my gender, and I’d smile and say—” He looks right into the interviewer’s eyes, “—‘go fuck yourself.’”

The crowd laughs and cheers, but Dean only has eyes for his son. When Richard finally realizes that Dean is looking at him, all he does to reassure him is wink at him.

Before the interviewer composes himself enough to say anything, Richard continues, “Of course, 8-year-old me didn’t really understand what that word meant. I think it might’ve been a little harsh. Of course, in the 19 years I’ve been alive we’ve had two gay presidents and several federal laws set in place to protect transgender and gender-misaligned people, so why anyone is still interested in my penis is a mystery to me.” When he finishes, Richard nervously grabs his left forearm with his right hand. 

Dean slaps him on the back and mouths if he’s all right. Richard gives a curt nod and turns back toward the interviewer. The guy has a soft smile on his face as if he’s glad to be taught a lesson. He continues the interview as if nothing awkward happened, and in no time Dean and Richard are heading back to their dressing rooms.

“Hey,” Dean says as he follows his son into his dressing room and closes the door behind him. “You sure you’re OK?” 

Richard rolls his whole head just like Cas. “You didn’t have to defend me, you know.”

“Yeah, I did. You’re my son. It’s my job to take care of you.”

Richard removes his suit jacket and loosens his tie. “You used to say ‘you’re my daughter.’ It’s weird, considering I’m not actually either.”

Dean is so taken back by that he’s left with his mouth hanging open, speechless. 

Richard straightens up as if challenging him. “I don’t want you fighting my battles for me. I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly,” Dean says as he gestures back toward the studio. “Excuse me for caring. It won’t happen again.” 

Dean walks out without hearing anything else his son has to say.

 

* * *

 

The night that Dean and Richard are on the only late night talk show that films in L.A. instead of New York, Dean comes home and refuses to watch it with Cas and Lisa.

Lisa takes that as her cue to go to bed early.

Dean is curled up against Cas’ chest on the couch, so Cas shuts the TV off and says in his ear, “You want to talk about it?”

“No,” Dean mumbles.

Cas doesn’t say anything else. He soothingly runs his finger up and down Dean’s arm.

“Richard said today that I’m not his father.”

 _“What?”_  

“The talk show host said something gross, and I—all I did was defend him. I thought—I kept looking at him to make sure it was OK, and he seemed like it was OK but then when we went—”

“You defended him? Over what?”

“Um—for being trans.”

Cas squeezes Dean and kisses the top of his head.

“Um? Cas?”

“You stood up for our son’s identity. You’ve never done that.”

“Of course I have! I—there was that time—I, um…” Dean goes lax in Cas’ arms. “Shit.”

“Richard probably thinks all you care about is  _your_ image. That you defended him just so that you would look good.”

“Why the hell would he think that?”

“Because it’s what  _you_  would’ve thought at his age.”

Dean turns his head to give Cas an annoyed look. 

Cas smiles and kisses him on the lips. “Richard didn’t mean what he said, Dean. I’m proud of you for sticking up for him even though you’re not letting me see it.”

“Yeah, well, I still feel like shit.” 

On instinct, Cas moves his hand from Dean’s arm to his hip. He shifts so he can inch his fingers under the waistband of Dean’s sweatpants. 

“Um, what are you doing?” Dean asks suspiciously.

“As I said, I’m proud of you.” Cas finds Dean’s cock and strokes it to hardness. He then manhandles Dean onto his lap and kisses him fiercely. “And you said you didn’t want to talk about it.”

Dean’s face changes from confusion to a goofy grin as he wraps his arms around Cas’ neck and bends down for another kiss. He moans when Cas finds his cock again and rolls his hips up into Cas’ hand and—

Something pops, and Dean cries out in pain before dropping his head to Cas’ shoulder. 

“Dean? What happened?”

Dean gingerly slides off Cas’ lap and tucks himself away. “Popped my damn knee.”

Cas starts laughing, so Dean leans over and nips at his neck to get him to stop. The bedroom door creaks open, and a sleepy-eyed Lisa appears in the hallway a moment later.

“Are you guys coming to bed anytime soon?”

 

* * *

 

Dean wakes up in an empty bed to the sound of several voices filtering in from the kitchen. He rolls over and plants his feet on the ground only to wince when he tries to stand on his bad knees. He’s getting so fucking old.

He throws a robe on and heads into the kitchen to find Lisa and Cas preparing breakfast while Richard sits at the counter talking to them. Dean clenches his jaw and heads straight for the coffee pot.

“Good morning to you, too, Dad,” Richard says facetiously.

While he pours himself a cup of coffee, he replies, “Oh, so you’re still calling me ‘Dad’?”

Lisa and Cas both freeze, but Dean doesn’t look their way. One of them is responsible for inviting Richard over this morning, which means he’s pissed at both of them for the time being.

“Do you wish I was still Junior?”

Dean turns so quickly toward Richard that a spot of coffee spills out of the mug and onto his hand. His son is staring down at his clasped hands, so Dean can barely see his eyes under his cropped black hair. As he crosses the kitchen, he motions for Lisa and Cas to leave. They’re both gone by the time he sits on the stool next to Richard.

“You and your brothers and sister are everything to me, you know that.”

Richard shifts uncomfortably. It’s always his reaction whenever Dean tries to tell him how much he loves him. Maybe it's time Dean finally tell him something that will make him believe it.

“Have I ever told you what happened when your mom and I realized we were pregnant?” 

“Ew, Dad, I don’t want to hear about your weird ménage—”

“We didn’t know if you were mine or your alpha dad’s. It really was a pretty clear-cut 50-50—”

 _“Dad._ Gross.”

“My point is that your mother and I—when we realized the problem, we of course hoped that you were Cas’. You—you’ve seen Ben. We didn’t want that for him, and we didn’t want it for you. But we still talked about it. We talked about what would happen, and we concluded that we’d love you just the same. We said it didn’t matter how you came out or whose you were—we’d love you unconditionally. Your mom wasn’t even showing yet, son.”

Richard looks up at Dean then, his eyes wide and hopeful and maybe a little surprised. “You didn’t think you’d have a trans kid though.”

“So? I might be an idiot when it comes to you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not in your corner.”

“You’re not—you’re not disappointed?”

Dean tilts his head up to the ceiling and sighs. He then wraps an arm around Richard’s shoulders and pulls him to his side. “I feel like I’m gonna spend the rest of my life proving to you and Finn that I ain’t disappointed in either of you. I might be an ass, but I’m not a disappointed ass.”

Richard huffs a laugh and buries his head in Dean’s chest. Eventually he mumbles, “I’m sorry I said you weren’t—”

“It’s OK, kid.” Cas peeks his head around the corner, and Dean throws him a thumbs up and mouths at him to go away. “I’m sorry I’ve been a dick about you being Dick.”

“Oh god, please don’t make me regret my name.”

Dean laughs and rubs his back. “Two more shows this week and a premiere next Thursday. Let’s get along until then, deal?”

“Deal.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is called Snapshot because I jumped around a lot and just tried to give a day-in-the-life kind of vibe to each chapter. I know that means some things were left unexplained (how Richard went from wanting to be an alpha male at puberty to actually being an omega male, Ben's condition, etc.) but you gon' have to deal with it. Also, I focused more on Dean's relationship with his kids in this fic because there was a ton of dad!Cas with Claire in Typecast. 
> 
> This is the last installment of Typecast. I hope you've enjoyed this nonsense as much as I have. Big huge thanks to my beta [Cookie](http://deanismypatronass.tumblr.com/) who has stuck with me through this series for almost a year now. You the real MVP, friendo.
> 
> I'm [deancasheadcanons](http://deancasheadcanons.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, and [this is my website.](https://maddmadeshop.com/)


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